It has been four years since jazz singer Sandi Russell removed herself from the music circuit after her transplanted kidney failed during a performance in Italy.

Since then, the native New Yorker, who has lived in Durham City for the past 20 years, has endured three hospital visits every week for dialysis treatment - waiting for "that call" which will tell her another donor has been found.

But fuelled by her love of music, a determination to get back on stage and the release of her new CD, Sandi has booked herself to play at Durham's Gala Theatre next weekend - to the delight of the North-East jazz fans.

"I suppose you could call it somewhat of a comeback," says Sandi - completely unaware she is making somewhat of an understatement.

"And I can't wait."

Throughout her lengthy career so far - "let's just say I'm over 50, honey" - Sandi has graced stages across the globe and her voice has been compared to the legendary Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday.

For more than a decade, the singer kept her chronic kidney failure a closely guarded secret - scheduling performances between regular operations to deal with complications after a transplant in 1992 and taking her own dialysis equipment on tour with her.

But during a performance in Rome, in 2000, Sandi realised her transplanted kidney was failing.

She felt so weak by the end of the performance the effort of half-speaking half-singing her way through the encore made her weep - leaving the audience feeling she was overcome by the emotion of the song.

"That was a rough night," says Sandi. "And ever since then I've been having dialysis three times a week - and of course I'm back on the transplant list, waiting for that fateful call."

Sandi has only performed once since that night in Rome, at a private function, and she is obviously looking forward to getting back in front of an audience next week, performing songs from her new album, Incandescent.

"This is the longest I have ever been away from the stage," she says.

"And when you've been singing since you were four years old - not being able to sing leaves you feeling lost.

"But I was just too weak to even think about it before now. For the first time, I feel strong enough and I'm itchin' to get up there. It makes me feel good and I just love to sing. In a strange kind of way it's going to help me say thank you to all the people who have helped and supported me - both physically and emotionally - in getting to the place where I am in my life."

Although she has been unable to perform her music for four years, her sideline as a writer has kept Sandi busy - so busy in fact that her debut novel is finished and currently being considered for publication.

"Writing is something I enjoy and has certainly helped me fill in the time over the past few years when I have been too unwell to perform. I can't say too much about what stage we're at with the novel - the book publishing business isn't as easy as it used to be - but let's just say I'm hopeful."

The years since her last performance have also forced Sandi to spend the most amount of consecutive time in her Durham City home since she opted to settle in the North-East in 1984.

"I moved here when I fell in love with someone who lived in Durham. We had a good run, but aren't together any more - then I started another relationship, with the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle," she laughs. "It's hard to extricate yourself once you start on a journey of treatment. You get to know the doctors and nurses and obviously I can't go very far because I could get that call at any time and have to be at the hospital in a matter of a few hours for a transplant."

* Sandi plays Durham's Gala Theatre on Saturday June 12 at 8pm. Tickets, priced #12.50 are available from the box office on (0191) 332-4041. Incandescent, will be on sale and is also available from her website at www.sandirussell.co.uk.